Advancing Sustainability in Agriculture with AI-Driven Robotic Technologies
Date: February 14, 2025
Time: 2:00 PM (ET) / 11:00 AM (PT)
Presenter: Yiannis Ampatzidis, Associate Professor in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department of the University of Florida
Abstract
Advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) are revolutionizing specialty crop management, enabling more sustainable and efficient agricultural practices. This talk will highlight cutting-edge technologies such as Agroview, Agrosense, and robotic systems that drive precision agriculture. Agroview (https://www.agroview.ai) leverages UAV-acquired RGB and multispectral imaging with advanced AI-based algorithms to provide actionable insights into canopy size, plant health, nutrient deficiencies, and spatial variability. These insights enable targeted interventions, such as prescription maps for nutrient optimization in citrus production. Agrosense complements Agroview as an AI-enabled ground-based sensing system for orchard management, offering capabilities like tree crop counting, canopy density classification, tree height estimation, and fruit counting. Additionally, innovative robotic systems, such as a smart tree crop sprayer, a robotic weed management sprayer, and an automated needle-based trunk injection system for HLB-affected citrus trees use real-time detection and targeted input application to reduce chemical use and labor needs. Furthermore, early disease detection is another transformative area, where AI-enhanced hyperspectral and multispectral analysis identifies symptomatic and asymptomatic signs of plant diseases. UAVs equipped with advanced sensors facilitate rapid and accurate disease monitoring, enabling timely interventions to prevent outbreaks and minimize crop loss. By integrating AI, robotics, and advanced sensing technologies, this presentation will showcase practical applications, deployment strategies, and their potential to address critical challenges in specialty crop management. Attendees will gain insights into how actionable, plant-based data from tools like Agroview and Agrosense and other robotic technologies optimize resource use, enhance productivity, and support a sustainable and resilient food system.
Short Bio: Dr. Yiannis Ampatzidis leads the Precision Agriculture Engineering program at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC). His current research focus is on smart and digital agriculture, artificial intelligence (AI), UAVs, machine vision for plant stress and disease detection, mechatronics, automation, robotics, precision agriculture and machine systems with a special interest in development, implementation, and evaluation of agricultural machines and control systems for high-value crops.